Hey Alexa!

That’s all I heard the day after Christmas :). My daughters had so much fun asking her to turn on the lights, play some music and even set an alarm for them to get ready for bed.

Suffice it to say, AI is here to stay and is already starting to become a VERY important part of our lives. Our children are already adapting to this new technology to the point where they know HOW to use this new technology to make quicker and more informed decisions.
I remember as a kid, my father bought me my first computer, the trusted COMMODORE 64 (Now I really dated myself). I recall opening the package and connecting it to my TV. I was so excited. And then the inevitable happened…I spoke to the computer and asked it a question. I did this because I just finished watching a Star Trek episode where Captain Kirk spoke to the computer and asked it to set a course for the next galaxy for them to explore. Of course, it didn’t talk back or turn on the lights…but, it was the start of me integrating technology into my daily life.

As a result of integrating this technology into my life, I started programming games which took me on a path that ended up being very lucrative. In other words, I unknowingly adapted and as a result ended up taking advantage of the technology changes vs. becoming obsolete.

This is what all of us sales leaders need to do. AI is everywhere and we need it to deal with the HUGE amounts of data in our environment for us to make MUCH MORE informed decisions. Now, I’m not saying your gut isn’t important, it’s the filter and the final piece of the puzzle. What I am saying is that you need to adapt and work AI into your daily life or risk being left behind.
To further understand the economic impact of AI, Salesforce commissioned a report from IDC on how AI will impact CRM (Vala Afshar (Chief Digital Evangelist, Salesforce):

AI associated with CRM activities will boost global business revenue from the beginning of 2017 to the end of 2021 by $1.1 trillion.

Net-new jobs associated with this revenue could reach more than 800,000 by 2021 in direct jobs, and 2 million if you add in indirect and induced jobs.